Audrey Mull grew up on a dairy farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and was always drawn to arts and crafts. This led her down an early entrepreneurial path selling her wares at her parents’ general store—and, once she was a bit older, starting her own namesake business in July of 1980. 

Today, Ken and Audrey run the company, along with their team, who are known for delivering thoughtful, high-quality products and attentive customer service. Their line features both seasonal and everyday home decor made with everything from textiles and wrought iron to wood, glass, ceramic, resin, cement, and metal. Audrey’s was recently nominated for 12 Reader Ranking Awards from Gift and Decorative Accessories magazine—winning Best Spring Assortment and Best Garden Accessories, and selected as a finalist in three other categories.

After four decades of business, Ken had the foresight to reinvest in web platforms and digital marketing in 2018. They launched on Faire on March 1, 2023, and were all surprised and thrilled with the results just nine months in. “We had a sales goal for our first year on Faire—and we’ve already made 10 times that number,” says Don Barton, Audrey’s VP of sales and marketing. 

We’re seeing a new breed of retailers coming on board through Faire that’s rejuvenating the entire industry.

Don Barton, VP of sales and marketing, Audrey’s

Expanding its retailer base from the Northeast (and getting global reach)

With a corporate showroom in Atlanta and four decades of local clout, Audrey’s was well-known in the Northeast but had yet to achieve their potential as a nationwide brand. All of its new customers previously came through its showroom, outside sales organizations, or its website. In 2023, however, Faire brought in more than 50% of Audrey’s new customers. “We just couldn’t believe how many new customers came on board with Faire,” says Don. “It’s been remarkable.” 

Customers of all types have come out of the woodwork, including those in new geographic areas that Audrey’s would not have reached otherwise. “We’re seeing a new breed of retailers coming on board through Faire that’s rejuvenating the entire industry,” Don says. “It’s a tech-savvy customer that really wants to be as efficient as possible, and with Faire, it’s all one-stop shopping and favorable terms. You can’t get much better than that.”

With Faire retailers located across 50,000 global cities, Audrey’s team has acquired international customers, as well. “The marketing opportunity Faire revealed was tremendous,” General Manager Phil Huber says. “We’ve shipped to six different countries, and the international door is open now, which is huge.” They previously had a freight issue with Canada, but it’s been amended through Faire. “It’s been a great relief to hit more retailers in that area as well.”

Rekindling past relationships through Faire’s favorable purchase terms

One of the biggest challenges in the gift industry is the churn rate: Audrey’s has accumulated a large database of customers over the years, but a good amount have simply stopped ordering. “People order one year, then they may drop off the next,” says Don. “But Faire is a game-changer when it comes to reviving those accounts.”

The team re-engages customers using Faire’s favorable purchase terms and Faire Direct: When retailers order through Audrey’s link, commission is waived, and retailers receive all the benefits of shopping on Faire. “We’ve been campaigning on Faire because the terms are so good, and since we get guaranteed payment, it’s a win-win,” Don says. 

When a retailer completes an order on Faire, the brand gets paid right away—but the retailer has 60 days of wiggle room to pay. Already, 21% of Audrey’s orders on Faire have come through Faire Direct.

Faire is a game-changer when it comes to reviving churned accounts.

Don Barton, VP of sales and marketing, Audrey’s

Making the customer experience easy—and becoming a Top Shop in the process

Audrey’s customers are also pleased with the end-to-end experience on Faire and aren’t shy about sharing their opinions. “The reviews we’ve been getting on Faire are stellar,” says Don. Indeed, Audrey’s has already qualified for Faire’s Top Shop, which Faire created as a way to recognize quality products and reliable service. Those brands that meet the criteria, like Audrey’s, receive access to priority customer support and earn a badge that helps them stand out in any given retailer’s search. “These new customers have never heard of us before, but are finding us with a simple, quick search on Faire,” Don says. 

Philnotes that Faire’s integration with retailers’ POS software makes it easy for repeat customers to know when it’s time to revisit Audrey’s catalog of over 2,600 items. “They see the product’s selling and can easily reorder it,” says Phil. “We’ve noticed we’re getting more frequent reorders too.”

Phil and Don meet regularly with Faire’s brand success team to ensure they’re optimizing sales on both ends. “We appreciate our conversations and what we can learn,” says Phil. “Faire is very receptive to collaborative feedback so that we can create an even better experience for our customers.”

Looking ahead, the team feels that they’re just scratching the surface of what they can do with Faire. “When we did our sales plan for 2024, we put a pretty big number for our increase in Faire business,” Phil says. “It’s going to be a good year for Audrey’s.”